Slush pump valve



D. c SHARP ET AL 2,214,799

Sept. 17, 1940.

SLUSH PUMP VALVE Original Filed Nov. 29. 19:55 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z31 v22-f4. 3| P5 30 IO 7' 6 Z D.C. SHARP LKJAMEs R.M.GARR\5ON Gum/M113 Sept.17, 1940. D. cfsHARP ET AL 7 2,214,799

' SLUSH PUMP VALVE Original Filed Nov. 29, 1935 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3mmDUDLEY GSHARP LLOY D K.EI'AME5. RMGARmsoN Patented Sept. 17, 1940 UNITEDSTATES PATENT orrlcr.

SLUSH PUMP VALVE poration of Texas Application November 29, 1935, SerialNo. 52,087

. Renewed January 22, 1940 7 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in slush pump valves, andparticularly of the type which are employed in maintaining a circulationof drilling fluid in the rotary system of drilling wells. I

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a valve assemblyincluding a ring and valve member wherein the valve member fits closelywithin the ring so that the area to be sealed constitutes but a narrowopening which is the circle forming the joint between the valve andring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stop device for slushpump valves so that there will be but two contacting wear surfaces whichcan be readily replaced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tapered stop bushing forslush pump valves so that the bushing will have a wedging fit with itsseat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible sealing discfor slush pump valves which will be forced against the seat and valve bythe pressure of the pumped liquid to effect a seal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snap ring formaintaining a valve member in assembled position.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent whenthe following description is considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a valve assembly including thering and valve member and showing certain of the parts in section toillustrate their construction and arrangement. 35 Fig. 2 is a top planview looking down on the valve and ring with a portion of the sealingdisc of the valve member broken away to illustrate the joint between thevalve and ring.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation partly broken 40 away to illustrate amodified form of the invention where the seal ring is snapped over thevalve stem.

Fig. 4 shows another modification of the valve where the sealing ring isheld in position by a cap 45 plate which is in turn held on by the snapring.

Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 show modified forms of the cap plate with variousarrangements of the snap ring which is arranged to hold the cap inposition.

50 In Fig. 1 the body of the pump is illustrated at 2 and is providedwith'a tapered opening 3, which is arranged to receive the valve seatring 4. This ring is in the nature of an annular metallic body havingthe outer wall 5 which is to engage the 55 taper in the pump body at 3and having a vertical inner wall 6, which forms a passage 1 through theseat ring. It is through this passage that the liquid is to be pumped inthe operation of the valve.

The valve member I0 is arranged for sliding 6 movement in the seat ring4 in order to close the passage 1.

Extending downwardly from the seat ring 4 is the spider I2, which has acentral boss or hub l3, which serves as a guide for the valve member 10M]. This hub l3 has a tapered seat M, which receives the tapered surfacel5 of the wear bushing 56. Particular attention is directed to thetapers l4 and I5 so that the bushing IE will have a wedging lit in thishub l3 and remain in posi- 5 tion. The bushing has an overlying flangeH, which rests upon the upper surface 18 of the hub I3. It is thisflange I'l that takes the wear and absorbs the shock occurring as thevalve closes. 20

It is to be understood that slush pump valves of this type are used inpumps where pressure as high as fifteen hundred pounds per square inchare maintained. The valve in the drawing is substantially actual size sothat a pressure of some 25 forty or fifty thousand pounds is exerted onthe valve each time it closes. This enormous shock is absorbed by theflange ll of the bushing IS. The valve stem 20 is arranged for slidingmovement in the passage 2| through the center of the bushing I6. Thevalve stem is enlarged to form the valve body 22, which flares outwardlyto terminate in the periphery 24. This periphery,as seen in Fig. 1, fltsclosely in the passage 1 so that the portion 22 substantially fills thispassage. The periphery 24 is so close to the wall 6 that only a verynarrow circle 25 represents the open space between the two. It will beobserved that the shoulder 21 on the body of the valve abuts against theface 28 on the upper side of the bushing I6 and it is between these twofaces that the shock is absorbed when the valve closes.

It is to be noted that when the valve is in closed position, with thefaces 21 and 28 in engagement, then the upper surface 30 of the valvebody 22 is substantially at the elevation of the base of the taper orbevel 3|, which is the seat formed on the valve ring 4. The surface 30therefore forms a substantial continuation of the bevel 3|, except thatthis extension is in a horizontal plane. The surfaces 30 and 3|,however, substantially merge together and the circle 25 is the linecontact between the two.

Deposited on the surface .30 of the valve is the sealing disc or plate40. This disc is preferably of rubber or suitable resilient material sothat it will be sufficiently flexible to move when subjected to thepressure of the pumped liquid above the valve. It should be particularlynoted that the base of this disc 40 flts closely upon the surface 30 andthat the disc is provided on its underside with a beveled face 4|, whichis tapered at almost the same angle as the face 3|. The outer periphery42 of this disc normally seats upon the top of the taper 3| when thevalve is in closed position, but the base 43 of the ring does not engagethe base of the taper 3| but is spaced away from the taper as best seenin Fig. 1. the corner 44 which forms the base of the taper 4| is seatedon the surface 30 and spaced radially inwardly from the periphery 24.

The disc 40 is provided with a groove 45 in its upper face so that thelip portion 46 is more flexible and is therefore subject to movementwhen subjected to the pressure of the pumped liquid. It will be notedthat the thickness of the material between the base of the groove 45 andthe taper 4| is less than any other thickness of material so that whenpressure is applied to the top of the sealing disc the movement will bealong the lower portion of the tapered face 4|, so as to bring theportion 43 of this taper against the taper 3|, by deforming the flexiblematerial. This movement of the material causes the portion 43 to movedown and cover the circle 25 which constitutes the joint between thevalve and the seat.

The above features have been provided so that when enormous pressuresare encountered the flexible sealing material can not be forceddownwardly between the valve and the ring seat and in this mannerdestroy it because of the fact that the narrow line contact is provided.The outer lip 46 forms a seal as the valve stops so as to cut off anyflow of liquid and as the pressure is applied to the top of the valvedisk or plate it moves downwardly so that the two tapers coincide witheach other to increase the sealing area.

In order that the valve disc 40 may be held in position a cap 50 ispassed down over the stem 20 and overlies the central portion of thesealing disc and it should be noted that this cap 50 terminates insideof the groove 45 so that it will not interfere with the flexible actionof the lip 46.

The stem 20-is provided with an annular groove 5| just above theelevation of the cap 50 and this groove is arranged to receive a snap orlock ring 52, which is of spring material and can be passed down overthe stem 20 and snapped into position to lock the plate 50 in position.Either end of this ring may be pried out of the groove and the capreadily removed when it is desired to replace the flexible disc 40.

The present valve construction is of material advantage over the valvesnow in general use because of the fact that the bushing 6 remainsstationary in the hub I3 so that there is no wear on the shoulder I8 andthe lower face of the flange H as there has been in the past withprevious constructions where the bushing was movable. In this manner twowear faces are eliminated because the bushing wedges tightly into thehuh I 3. The only wear faces remaining are the faces 21 and 28 and thesetwo faces absorb the entire shock of the closing of the valve. Thebushing I6 is readily replaceable and may be removed, with a suitablebushing puller, from its wedged position, so that the worn parts of thevalve may be readily replaced. An improvement in the seal of the valveis obtained because of the fact that the In fact surface 30 is at thesame elevation as the base of the taper 3| so that it is only necessaryfor a seal to be provided over the narrow circular opening 25 in orderto insure a complete seal. The provisional the snap ring 52 for holdingthe disc and cap in position is of advantage when the parts are to bereplaced.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of the invention wherein the stem portion20 has a crown or cap 60 formed integral therewith. This crown has atapered face 6| and a downwardly facing shoulder 62 which merges withthe enlarged portion 63 of the stem and the valve body 22. These partsform a recess- 64 directly above the base 30 of the valve body 22. Thesealing ring 40 is of substantially the same configuration as the formwhich was previously described and fits into the recess 64 by beingforced downwardly over the tapered portion 6| of the crown 60, so thatit snaps into the position shown in Fig. 3. No additional fasteningmeans is required with this form of the invention.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of the invention wherein the valve body 22is enlarged at 10 and is provided with an annular groove or recess 1|.This recess is at an elevation directly above the top of the sealingmember 40. A cap plate 12 is shown in top plan view in Fig. 5. Thisplate is preferably formed in two portions which contact each other at13. These two parts can be passed around the body 10 of the valve inFig. 4 and their inner edges 15 passed into the recess 1| so that theyfit closely against the top of the sealing member 40. When these twohalves of the cap plate have been thus positioned the snap ring 16 willbe passed around the two members and snapped into position to hold themsecurely in place as seen in Fig. 4. The ring 16 fits into a groove 11in the periphery of the cap plate. It has been found in practice that asnap ring the size of the ring 16 can be more readily manipulated thancan the small ring 52 shown in Fig. 1.

The snap ring 16 may take various forms, Fig. 5 showing overlappinginner-fitting end portions 18 which serve to lock the ring in position.

Fig. 6 shows one of the cap plates 12 as being formed with recesses 80which receive the inwardly turned ends 8| on the ring 16.

Fig. 7 shows the ring 16 with the ends 82 thereof turned outwardly andthese two ends held together by a wire or fastening 83 which may betwisted at 84 to draw the ring tightly in position.

Fig. 8 shows the snap ring 16 as being made of a suitable material sothat the ends86 thereof may be twisted at 81 in order to draw the ringtightly around the cap plates 12.

It is to be understood that these various forms may be provided inaccordance with the requirements of the conditions which are encounteredin field practice.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A valve and seat assembly including a valve, a seal disc thereon, aseat ring having a. bevel face to receive said disc, stop means for saidvalve, said valve fitting closely in said ring when stopped by saidmeans, a bevel face on said disc of a more shallow taper than said seatring bevel to space the base of the face of said disc from the bevelface of said seat when said valve is stopped by said means, and a flangeon said disc, a neck portion spacing said flange from the body of thedisc, whereby said bevel face will have greater flexibility to move downunder liquid pressure as the valve closes to bring said bevel facestogether to form a seal.

2. A valve seat ring having a tapered face, a valve body in said'ring, aplane surface on said body, means to stop said valve body with saidsurface positioned as a continuation in a horizontal plane of saidtapered face so that the joint is a circle, a sealing disc carried bysaid body adapted to rest on said surface, a beveled face on theunderside of said disc, said beveled face normally engaging the taperedface at its periphery only and terminating inside of said circle on saidsurface whereby the pressure of liquid will force said beveled faceagainst said tapered face and over said circle to form a seal.

3. A valve of the character described including a beveled seat, a valvemember movable by the fiow of liquid thereby relative to said seat butarranged to form a close joint within the inner periphery of said seat,and a resilient sealing member on said valve to contact said seat at itsedge but constructed to stand away from said joint as the valve closes.said member being flexible and exposed to the liquid so as to move tocontact both the seat and the valve at said joint as the pressure of theliquid is taken by said member.

4. A valve of the character described including a beveled seat, a valvemember movable by the flow of liquid thereby relative to said seat butarranged to form a close joint within the inner periphery of said seat,and a resilient sealing member on said valve to contact said seat at itsedge but constructed to stand away from said joint as the valve closes,said member being flexible and exposed to the liquid so as to move tocontact both the seat and the valve at said joint as the pressure of theliquid is taken by said member, and means to clamp said resilientsealing member on said valve.

5. A valve of the character described including a beveled seat, a valvemember movable by the flow of liquid thereby relative to said seat butarranged to form a closejoint within the inner periphery of said seat,and a resilient sealing member on said valve to contact said seat at itsedge but constructed to stand away from said joint as the valve closes,said member being flexible and exposed to the liquid so as to move tocontact both the seat and the valve at said joint as the pressure of theliquid is taken by said member, and means to clamp said resilientsealing member on said valve including a snap ring.

6. A valve of the character described including a beveled seat, a valvemember movable by the flow of liquid thereby relative to said seat butarranged to form a close joint within the inner periphery of said seat,and a resilient sealing member on said valve to contact said seat at itsedge but constructed to stand away from said joint as the valve closes,said member being flexible and exposed to the liquid so as to move tocontact both the seat and the valve at said joint as the pressure of theliquid is taken by said member, and means to clamp said resilientsealing member on said valve including a ring whose ends are outwardlyturned and bound together.

'7. A valve of the character described including a beveled seat, a valvemember movable by the flow of liquid thereby relative to said seat butarranged to form a close joint within the inner periphery of said seatand a resilient sealing member on said valve to contact said seat at itsedge but constructed to stand away from said joint as the valve closes,said member being flexible and exposed to the liquid so as to move tocontact both the seat and the valve at said joint as the pressure of theliquid is taken by said member, and means to clamp said resilientsealing member on said valve including a ring whose ends are twistedtogether.

DUDLEY C. SHARP.

LLOYD K. JAMES.

RANALD M. GARRISON.

